Follow The Fan, Man

All over this country, we are blessed with a host of top rated professional and college sports teams. Of course the downside of having great teams is that the ticket prices to see these games can make one’s eyes widen in disbelief. A New England Patriots ticket, for instance, has a face value of $118 (Time.com) with an average aftermarket price of a $235 (Seatgeek.com, Nov., 2011).

Compared to the $211 DIRECTV charges for a full season of its NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, there isn’t much of a contest, unless the in-stadium experience delivers a fan experience so far above and beyond the TV version that it is really worth spending the extra cash.

So, it’s no small wonder that sports organizations in both professional and college ranks are putting in large video screens, ribbon displays, and a myriad of monitors that heighten the impact of being there from the moment a visitor enters the stadium to the time they buy a soft drink, or even go to the restroom.

And that’s just the beginning. Everyone in the sports industry knows it is high quality content that pulls fans in and keeps them there. To that end, live games are now augmented with more exciting, interactive multi-screen content, from play highlights to mobile contests, than ever before.

The objective of the game is to “follow the fan, man.” Wherever your fans go for content, sports teams need to be there for them. When they rise up in their seats in a tidal eruption, a camera crew needs to be there to splash their enthusiasm across the scoreboard. When they want to buy their favorite team’s swag, a replay of a game-changing touchdown or home run needs to provide a dazzling display of emotional support.

Sure, the live game is the draw, but there is so much more to sports than who wins or loses. For the franchise, it’s just as important to keep fans in the stands when the team is losing. In fact, many would argue that it’s even more so, since the team itself has a much easier time of filling stands when it’s the other way around.

Enter Avid InGame. Talking with sports organizations across the country, we found out pretty quick that what they wanted … no, needed … was a fast, efficient way to create compelling content for multiple platforms. And to do that, they needed immediate access to all footage from the current season, last season and many seasons before that. They need high quality editorial tools to create content that touches the emotion of the fan. But why stop there? Throw in some eye popping graphics and the ability to archive and quickly restore historical footage while you’re at it.

After all, everyone knows you can’t substitute the experience of a live sports event, but to maintain New England Patriots level price points – you better do more than just put on a good game.

Straker

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About straker

I am part of the Market Solutions team, helping to define the strategy and solutions for the broadcast segment that will help drive our customer’s success today and in the future. I have been in the broadcast and online media industry for over 15 years. My work in broadcast includes producing, directing, shooting, and editing a variety of different formats such as news, sports, and magazine style shows. In 1996, I was part of the team that launched the world’s first all-digital news production system where I received 2 Emmy awards. Over the past 10 years, I have been with Avid in a variety of customer facing and strategic roles including 6 years in Singapore and 2 years in Tokyo leading the teams that sold and designed complex workflows for major Asian broadcasters. In 2007, I relocated to Boston to drive worldwide broadcast segment strategy. I hold an Associate of Science in Television Production, a Bachelors of Science in Business Management and an MBA from Northeastern University.